There has been so much going on in Manton Bay today, it was unbelievable! We have had not one, not two, but three Ospreys in the Bay!

The excitement began at about 10:00… I was in the wonderful Waderscrape hide, opening up for the day, when a high-pitched call broke the silence of the empty Bay. It was 28(10) flying in, carrying a fish and being chased by gulls!

Here is a video of him coming in to land on the T-perch:

And being mobbed by some gulls:

28 on the T perch

28 landed on the nest briefly

We had thought that 28 might stay in Manton Bay, as there may be the opportunity for him to breed on this nest, as he almost did last year. So we were not surprised when he came flying in this morning with a fish. He sat on the T-perch for a couple of hours, alternating between eating and keeping a wary eye on the gulls and crows who wanted to steal his catch. We are all delighted that 28 is back, and also that he seems to have decided to remain in Manton Bay, as it means there will be an Osprey there every day for people to see from the hide, and also for us to show them from the Lyndon Centre.

I had stationed myself resolutely by the big screen to record any Osprey activity that might transpire. I was not disappointed, as, at about 13:00, an Osprey landed on the nest! One glance told me that this bird wasn’t 28(10), it was a female sporting a green ring – 5N(04)! The very same female who visited this nest last week.

5N on the nest

5N(04)

5N seemed quite content to sit on the nest and enjoy the view, and 28 continued to eat his fish on the T-perch. He made no move to go to 5N on the nest or chase her off it. About 15 minutes later, though, 28 left his perch and circled the nest. 5N watched him for a few seconds then flew off the nest.

The pair of them circled around together, and ended up sitting next to each other on the perch!

5N and 28 on the T-perch

Then, as if there wasn’t enough excitement already, 25(10) appeared! This is another breeding female who is waiting for her mate to join her at her nest site.

This video shows 25 flying into the nest from the left, then 28 passes overhead:

25(10)

Three Ospreys in the Bay! It was quite hard to keep up with the movements of all of them – there was a lot of flying about and hopping from the nest to the perch. 5N seemed to dislike the other two being on the nest, and chased them off whenever they were on it.

This video shows 25 flying off the nest as 5N flies in:

This video shows 28 and then 25 leaving the nest, as 5N flies in again:

At about 14:30, 25 was sitting on the nest, then 28 appeared above her and attempted to mate with her, as the video below shows. As you can see, it was not a successful attempt, but 25 seemed receptive.

25 and 28

25 and 28

Eventually, at about 15:15, both females disappeared – presumably back to their own nest sites – and 28 was alone in the Bay once more.

25 and 5N are clearly getting impatient waiting for their respective mates, and are touring the area, looking around at other nest sites. Both birds have dropped in on Manton Bay before just recently (5N on Friday, 25 on Saturday), but did not stay for more than a minute at most. This time they stayed longer, probably because 28(10) was here, and the presence of a male would encourage them to stay.

What an exciting day! I can only hope tomorrow is just as exhilarating!